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Passing Traffic

Jonathan: A few weeks back, at Eight Askernish, Denise and I were packing up having completed our winter programme of redecorating (including, this year, new carpets throughout). My final task before leaving was to set up the wildlife camera. On each of our visits to the house, I’d noticed ‘calling cards’ left by deer visiting the garden in search of food, so on this last visit I attached the wildlife camera to a rainwater down-pipe, and directed it at the area where the deer paw the ground in search of the naturalized crocosmia/mombretia bulbs (which are rich in carbohydrates and minerals). Today – with Alex and Frazer Fotheringham from Wester Ross about to arrive for a Hogmanay holiday, I removed the camera and checked the contents.

Disappointment, yet again! About 300 each of stills and videos, but no deer – no wildlife of any kind. In fact the only movement of living things caught was of the grasses and shrubs rocking about in the wind! The sensitivity of the infra-red detector is adjustable, and I’d set it to react only to movement within about 50m, but it appears that the camera was far more interested in passing traffic, on the Askernish road, which is about 150m away!

Passing Traffic – Tractor

Passing Traffic – Wind & Moonlight

What’s really interesting from the hundreds of images, capturing passing traffic – day and night, is that almost half of the traffic on the Askernish road is agricultural – and almost all of that tractors. In Askernish, at least, crofting is very much alive and well!